Seeing Our Ecological Crisis as a Spiritual Crisis

What if today’s ecological crisis was actually a spiritual crisis? Theresa Martella, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scientist and Living School sendee reflects on her own changing relationship to Nature as she expands her awareness of contemplative spirituality and practice. 

Think back to a time in your early life when you first felt a sense of the Divine. For many of us, this sense of awe overcame us when we were immersed in Nature. As children, we sensed the sacredness of the ground beneath our feet and the air we breathed. We were steeped in a luminous mystery, connected with all of life. However, as time went on, many of us lost our connection to the natural world.  Contemplative wisdom invites us back to this time of ecological mindfulness. It grounds us in a world in which God’s love extends through Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and all of creation.  

As a spiritual ecologist, I have been profoundly influenced by Eco theologian and Passionist priest Thomas Berry, also known as the father of ecological spirituality. Thomas taught me what I had always intuited; that spirit and matter are one. I first met Thomas in the late 1990s while I was studying Earth Literacy at Genesis Farms, in Blairstown, New Jersey. The curriculum of the Earth Literacy program was based on Thomas’ books and writings. He once said, “We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The Old Story—the account of how the world came to be and how we fit into it—is not functioning properly, and we have not learned the New Story.” His call for a new story—one of nurturing a mutually enhancing relationship with the Earth—resonated deeply with me, naming our ecological crisis as a spiritual crisis. 

Despite trying to integrate this new story into my work as an environmental scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, something was missing. I had no contemplative wisdom to ground my work. My work promoting sustainability felt limited because I was still working in a system created in the old story. I entered the Living School searching for groundedness and a new way of being in the world.  

Contemplative wisdom soon became my compass, guiding me toward sustainability and simplicity in my own life. When I practice regularly, I can detach from my wants and desires and recognize my interconnectedness with all of life. The need for constant comparison and material accumulation passes as I recognize my desires as passing thoughts, not needs. My worries for the state of the planet recede, if only for a minute. My mind and soul rest. 

As a spiritual director, I often guide individuals on their spiritual journey using nature-based contemplative exercises. These practices inspire awe and reverence for the natural world. When we fully attend to Nature, we experience a spacious emptiness where we merge with something larger than ourselves. Nature becomes the healer, supporting radical resilience as we face an uncertain future with climate change. We realize we are of nature, not separate from it. 

Contemplative wisdom calls us to wholeness and simplicity which leads us to a deeper connection with the sacred Earth. It is with this path essential for healing ourselves and our wounded planet. 

Reflect with Us 

Does your contemplative practice involve the natural world? If not, what is a way you could incorporate more living beings in your practice? Share your reflection with us.  

Theresa Martella is a spiritual ecologist, spiritual director, and retired environmental scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She is a Sendee of the CAC’s Living School. She lives in Colorado.  

We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.